Granger says sitting out was 'kind of depressing' but he's ready for Pacers' stretch run

Indianapolis Star | Feb 25

It was a little moment that wouldn’t mean much to many, but it carried significant weight for Indiana Pacers swingman Danny Granger.

As his teammates cracked jokes inside the packed locker room at the Palace of Auburn Hills after their fourth straight victory on Saturday, Granger soaked in the moment.

He chimed in with his two cents every now and then, but for the most part, he sat back and enjoyed himself.

“It feels good to be back,” he said. “I missed all of this.”

Granger won’t save the box score from his first game of the season — 1-of-10 shooting in 18 minutes off the bench against the Detroit Pistons.

It wasn’t an ideal shooting performance for anybody, but for Granger it was a matter of getting over the initial nervousness of playing his first meaningful game in nine months.

He knew he would be back at some point this season, but he never knew when that time would come. There were many days he became frustrated with the pain in his left knee.

“It was really hard and I was frustrated with my knee,” Granger said in his first extensive interview of the season. “I was constantly playing and having pain and more pain. It’s getting better, but you still have your doubt in your mind. On the good side, the team was doing really well. It was frustrating because I wasn’t part of the success we had so far.

“I watched all the games and I’d give as much input as I could. But when you’re out and not playing and you can’t practice, it was kind of depressing.”

Granger’s knee, in which he got an injection in November, still isn’t 100 percent. It’s uncertain when it’ll be completely healthy. He must get to a point where he’s playing and not frequently thinking about the knee every time he makes a hard cut or jumps.